MCNY Blog: New York Stories

Iconic photos of a changing city, and commentary on our Collections & Exhibitions from the crew at MCNY.org

Vanderbilt Ball – how a costume ball changed New York elite society

In the spring of 1883, the solemnity of Lent didn’t stand a chance against the social event on the mind of all of New York’s elite society:  Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt’s fancy dress ball. The invitations had been hand delivered by servants in livery, young socialites had been practicing quadrilles (dances performed with four couples in a rectangular formation) for weeks, and “amid the rush and excitement of business, men have found their minds haunted by uncontrollable thoughts as to whether they should appear as Robert Le Diable, Cardinal Richelieu, Otho the Barbarian, or the Count of Monte Cristo, while the ladies have been driven to the verge of distraction in the effort to settle the comparative advantages of ancient, medieval, and modern costumes” (New York Times). The best dressmakers and cobblers had spent months poring over old books making costumes — which were already being breathlessly described by the New York Times — as historically accurate as possible.

Prior to the ball, Gilded Age New York society had been dominated by the Mrs. Astor. (Emphasis, hers – to even ask which Astor was a sure sign that you were thoroughly ignorant in the most basic points of New York’s social hierarchy.) Mrs. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor and self-appointed “society expert” Ward McAllister were the authorities in all things upper class. It was up to them to decide if your last name was venerable enough or if your bloodlines were pure enough for entry into the upper ranks of society. They were the champions of old money and tradition.

But New York’s social hierarchy is not known for being static.  Thanks to the meteoric increase in millionaires in New York due to the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution, many of whose fortunes rivaled or even surpassed the oldest of families, Mrs. Astor and Ward McAllister had a whole new challenge in deciding who of the nouveau riche was acceptable.  This led to the creation of the famous List of 400 — the Four Hundred people who were New York’s high society. One family that they deemed wholly unsuitable were the Vanderbilts. The willful crassness of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, the ambitious entrepreneurial shipping and railroad industry mogul, and patriarch of the family, was still the stuff of legends.

Mora (b. 1849). Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt (neé Alva Erskine Smith). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.2.

Mora (b. 1849). Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt (neé Alva Erskine Smith). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.2.

The Commodore’s grandson, William Kissam Vanderbilt, married the determined, pugilistic and socially ambitious Alva Erksine Smith from Mobile, Alabama (but schooled in Paris). Alva made it her mission to bring the Vanderbilts into what she thought was their proper place in society, and onto the list of the 400.

Her first move? Building an opulent French château style mansion designed by Richard Morris Hunt at 660 Fifth Avenue at 52nd street that literally overshadowed the dour, albeit luxurious, town homes that lined the avenue.

H.N. Tiemann & Co. 1898. 5th Avenue north from 52nd Street. Museum of the City of New York. X2010.11.4755

H.N. Tiemann & Co. 1898. 5th Avenue north from 52nd Street. Museum of the City of New York. X2010.11.4755.

As grand as the mansion was, the ball which served as her housewarming party was even grander. On March 26, 1883 Alva threw one of the most incredible parties that New York had ever seen. With her access to seemingly endless amounts of money, she used every available resource – including the power of the press by inviting journalists to come in and preview the decorations before the ball began – to build excitement  and to make it bigger than any ball before it. According to an apocryphal tale, Alva used what was possibly the simplest weapon in her arsenal to gain admission to the New York 400:  good old fashioned manipulation.  The story goes, that like all marriageable young girls Mrs. Astor’s daughter, Carrie, was anxiously awaiting her invitation and even began practicing for a quadrille with her friends. Then the unthinkable happened: all of her friends got their invitations and hers never came. She immediately got her mother on the case. Due to complex social customs, Alva claimed she could not invite Miss Astor since Mrs. Astor had never called on the Vanderbilt home. Mrs. Astor really had no choice but to drop her visiting card at 660 5th Avenue, thus formally acknowledging the Vanderbilts. The Astors’ invitation was received the next day.

At ten in the evening carriages began arriving at 660 5th Avenue, dropping off nearly 1200 outrageously costumed members of the highest ranks of society. Crowds, held back by police, strained to catch glimpses of debutantes and society stalwarts attired in their costumes as they were escorted into the mansion. Even Mrs. Astor (with her daughter) and Ward McAllister were there.

It is easy to see the casual display of over-the-top excess of the ball in these portraits of attendees in their costumes taken by Mora.

Miss Edith Fish was dressed as the Duchess of Burgundy, with real sapphires, rubies and emeralds studding the front of the dress.

Mora (b.1849). Miss Edith Fish (later Hon. Mrs. Oliver Northcote). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.45.

Mora (b.1849). Miss Edith Fish (later Hon. Mrs. Oliver Northcote). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.45.

One of the most amazing costumes was Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II ‘s representation of “Electric Light” which even had a torch that lit up, thanks to batteries hidden in her dress. The dress is actually in the Museum’s costume collection and you can see it as it looked on Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II in the cabinet card below, and how stunning it is in the full color collection image. (To take a closer look at the dress, visit our Worth/Mainbocher online exhibition here.)

Mora (b. 1849). Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II (neé Alice Claypoole Gwynne. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. F2012.58.1341.

Mora (b. 1849). Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II (neé Alice Claypoole Gwynne. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. F2012.58.1341.

Charles Frederick Worth House of Worth (Firm) Jean-Phillippe Worth (1856-1926). Fancy dress ensemble, "Electric Light," worn by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt at the 1883 Vanderbilt Ball. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 51.284.3A-H

Charles Frederick Worth
House of Worth (Firm)
Jean-Phillippe Worth (1856-1926). Fancy dress ensemble, “Electric Light,” worn by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt at the 1883 Vanderbilt Ball. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 51.284.3A-H

At exactly 11:30 the ball began with the hobby-horse quadrille, the first of five quadrilles where the young people of society danced down the grand staircase in lavish costumes.

Dancers in the Dresden Quadrille wore all-white court costumes evoking the time of Frederick the Great and giving them the eerie and intentional look of living porcelain dolls.

Mora (b.1849). Miss Henrietta Strong (later Mrs. Daniel E. Fearing). 1883. Museum of the city of New York. 41.132.15.

Mora (b.1849). Miss Henrietta Strong (later Mrs. Daniel E. Fearing). 1883. Museum of the city of New York. 41.132.15.

For the Opera Bouffe quadrille, the costumes were just as elaborate. The New York Times described the dress below as, “Miss Bessie Webb appeared as Mme. Le Diable in a red satin dress with a black velvet demon embroidered on it and the entire dress trimmed with demon fringe-that is to say, with a fringe ornamented with the heads and horns of little demons.” It’s not everyday that you hear the term “demon fringe”.

Mora (b.1849). Miss Elizabeth "Bessie" Remsen Webb (later Mrs. George B. Parsons). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.46

Mora (b.1849). Miss Elizabeth “Bessie” Remsen Webb (later Mrs. George B. Parsons). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.46.

Speaking of things that you don’t hear or see on a daily basis, this is the costume of a cat that Miss Kate Fearing Strong wore. Miss Strong, who Henry James described as “youthful and precocious,” went as her nickname “Puss”. Somewhat disturbingly, the entire costume consisted of the taxidermied cat head as seen in the image, but also seven cat tails sewn onto her skirt.

Mora (b. 1849). Miss Kate Fearing Strong (later Mrs. Arthur Welman). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. F2012.58.1460.

Mora (b. 1849). Miss Kate Fearing Strong (later Mrs. Arthur Welman). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. F2012.58.1460.

Continuing with the animal theme, Alva’s sister-in-law went as a hornet, with an imported headdress made of diamonds.

Mora (b. 1849). Mrs. William Seward Webb (neé Lila O. Vanderbilt). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.63

Mora (b. 1849). Mrs. William Seward Webb (neé Lila O. Vanderbilt). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.63.

After the last quadrille ended, the ball really began. Dozens of Louis XVIs, a King Lear “in his right mind”, Joan of Arc, Venetian noblewomen and hundreds of other costumed figures danced and drank among the flower filled house, including the third floor gymnasium that had been converted into a forest filled with palm trees and draped with bougainvillaeas and orchids. Dinner was served at 2 in the morning by the chefs of Delmonico’s working with the Vanderbilt’s small army of servants. The dancing continued until the sun was rising, diamonds and other jewels glinting in the changing light. Alva led her guests in one final Virginia reel and just like that, the ball was over. The fantasy world that Alva created turned back into reality as men in powdered wigs stumbled down Fifth Avenue, much to the amusement of children on their way to school.

Mora (b.1849). Mr. Perry Belmont.1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.33.

Mora (b.1849). Mr. Perry Belmont.1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.33.

Mora (b. 1849). Miss [Agnes] Binsse & Mr. [Reginald] Francklyn. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.7.

Mora (b. 1849). Miss [Agnes] Binsse & Mr. [Reginald] Francklyn. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.7.

The engaged couple of Agnes Binsse and Reginald Francklyn were dressed as Incroyables, a reference to French society.

Mora (b.1849). Mrs. Herbert C. Pell (neé Catherine "Kitty" L. Kernochan). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.47

Mora (b.1849). Mrs. Herbert C. Pell (neé Catherine “Kitty” L. Kernochan). 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.47.

Mora (b. 1849). Mr. Charles Ross. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.32

Mora (b. 1849). Mr. Charles Ross. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.96.2.32.

Mora (b.1849). Mrs. Henry Lukemeyer. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.35

Mora (b.1849). Mrs. Henry Lukemeyer. 1883. Museum of the City of New York. 41.132.35.

Most contemporary sources put the cost of the ball at $250,000 (nearly 6 million dollars in today’s money), including such costs as $65,000 for champagne and $11,000 for flowers.  It was conspicuous consumption at its finest and it worked. Newspapers across the country reported the most minute details and extolled Alva’s tastes and classiness. (This is not to say that there wasn’t a backlash to the ball. The New York Sun published this very stern article, critiquing the excess when there was so much suffering in the same city.). But as of March 27, 1883 the Vanderbilts were at the top of a new New York society that was not just limited to 400 people.

If you want to learn more about the Gilded Age in New York, come to our Gilded New York exhibition opening this November.

About Susannah Broyles

53 comments on “Vanderbilt Ball – how a costume ball changed New York elite society

  1. David
    August 6, 2013

    Absolutely fascinating. And the costumes! One of my favorite articles yet.

  2. Ree
    August 7, 2013

    love to see a mini-series on the Vanderbilt/Astor world of the “Gilded Age”…a la “Downton Abbey”…

  3. Hana - Marmota
    August 7, 2013

    It’s rather funny to see 1880s do Directoire in women’s fashion… Fascinating history, and yes, it’s quite excessive and mind-boggling.

    I’m wondering, though: if Mrs. William Seward Webb is neé Lila O. Vanderbilt, isn’t she Alva’s sister-in-law, not her sister?

    • Susannah Broyles
      August 7, 2013

      You are absolutely right! Thank you for catching that!

  4. Sybil
    August 7, 2013

    Thank you, Susannah Broyles, for the entertaining and informative look into the Vanderbilt Ball, and the incredible extravagances of the Gilded Age rich. What a fun read!

  5. Joanna Shupe
    August 7, 2013

    This was an amazing article. Such drama! Such costumes! Definitely a fun read.

  6. Cindy Wright Lyons
    August 7, 2013

    It will be great to see Julian Fellowes’ new mini-series for NBC called, the “Gilded Age” depicting NYC of the 1880’s!

    • Christine Galloway Kirk
      April 16, 2017

      Hoping Fellows mini series will include the Commodore, Alva and a few other of the most colorful…and there were many, but what legacies of culture, arts, architecture, educational institutions they left us! And, yes, there was suffering of the many of the time, just as is forevermore….but think of all who became employed and inspired , thousands!

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  13. Loraine
    June 4, 2014

    There are still lots of these kind of parties in Europe; most famous one in by far: “Bal de l’Eté”, with mainly world wide nobility and other celebrities, such as in June 2014 in Monte Carlo: (selection)
    * Prince Albert of Monaco
    * Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur
    * Robert Redford
    * Roberto Cavalli
    * Dannii Minogue
    * Anna Mia Dalberg-Ring (Denmark)
    * Hedi Ferjani (Dubaï)
    * Princess Cathérine Colonna de Stigliano
    * Helen Selikowitz Modini
    * Padmaja Kumari Mewar of Udaipur
    * Jayanti Chauhan
    * Mounia Tazxi El-Halouani
    * Edmond Fokker van Crayestein
    * Bastiaan Hagenouw
    * Hans van de Kimmenade
    * Rafael de Weryha – Wysoczanski
    * Paulo Baptista Azevedo
    * Sacha Zackariya Marikar
    * Claes af Buren
    * Count Adriaen Kamenický
    * Marco-Antonio Dimer
    * Mathieu de Senger
    * Gasli Han Gedik
    * Constantin Stolberg – Wenigerode
    * Andy Wong
    * Pierluigi Cornaggia Medici
    * Loredana di Porcia e Brugnera
    * Satoko Yahata
    * Frans-Juwe von Chrismar
    * Edouard de Meherenc de Saint Pierre
    * Maharaj Raghavendra Rathore of Jodhpur
    * Princess Sophia Wolkonsky
    * Amitabh Bachchan
    and many more

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  16. strangeaddiction78
    January 19, 2016

    Reblogged this on mystrangeaddictions.

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  18. Catherine Sutliff
    June 28, 2016

    I didn’t see a mention of what Mrs William Vanderbilt was wearing. Was she depicting freedom – with the birds?

    • angelia m sukala
      November 25, 2017

      Alva was dressed as a Venetian princess. The birds weren’t part of the costume and were added by the photographer when he did her portrait because nothing says Venetian princess like random birds, I guess.

    • mousiemom123
      November 25, 2017

      Alva was dressed as a Venetian princess. The birds were added later by the photographer who took her portrait. Because no princess is complete without animal sidekicks, I guess.

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  24. Davida Chazan
    September 24, 2018

    I just found this blog post when researching the novel “A Well-Behaved Woman” by Therese Anne Fowler, which is about Alva Vanderbilt. Thank you – this is fascinating!

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  35. helares
    March 1, 2022

    Does anyone know the detailed menu for the Vanderbilt Ball of 1883? Thank you.

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